Barack Obama Reportedly Slams Donald Trump At Private Event
At private events and virtual fundraisers, former President Barack Obama has been ripping into President Donald Trump, The New York Times reported on Thursday.
Since leaving office, Obama has seldom weighed in on the political situation in the country, choosing his words very carefully. But, at private fundraisers for the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee Joe Biden, he has reportedly spoken more candidly about his successor.
During a recent event attended by LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Obama reportedly slammed Trump and his allies in conservative media.
The former president apparently said that Trump’s base is “just glued to Fox News and Breitbart and Limbaugh and just this conservative echo chamber — and so, they’re going to turn out to vote.”
“What he has unleashed and what he continues to try to tap into is the fears and anger and resentment of people who, in some cases, really are having a tough time and have seen their prospects, or communities where they left, declining.”
Obama allegedly discussed Trump’s focus on Confederate monuments amid the Black Lives Matter protests, drawing a parallel between today’s America and Europe before the Second World War.
According to notes made from recordings of Obama’s remarks, he warned that Trump could still win, urging Democrats to “get to work.”
“We already saw this guy win once,” Obama was quoted as saying. “After he bragged about physically assaulting women — and that didn’t seem to matter. So, enough said.”
As reported by CNN, the former commander-in-chief echoed this sentiment at late Congressman John Lewis’ funeral, where he discussed the nationwide protests against police brutality, calling on the United States Congress to pass Lewis’ Voting Rights Act.
Per The New York Times, Obama has raised more than $24 million for Biden’s campaign so far. Prominent liberal donors and Hollywood stars like George Clooney have attended his events, spending up to $250,000 on tickets.
As the publication noted, during his fundraisers, Obama made sure to praise Biden, pushing back against criticism of his campaign.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama has largely remained on the sidelines, although she has promised to appear at the Democratic National Convention. She has, however, participated in Democratic efforts to boost voter turnout and defeat Trump.
Democrats appear to be in a good position ahead of the November election. Most recent polls suggest that Biden is a strong favorite to win the White House and that Republicans are in danger of losing control of the U.S. Senate.
